Another Promise Kept
by Lady Marianne
Summary: Jack is sent to prison [on the Titanic, I mean] and Rose does nothing to free him. But he ran into Molly, who promised him she would take care of Rose. Will she keep her promise? Read and find out.
1. Prologue

**I can't believe that this is my story number 10! (number nine of Titanic). I'm very happy.**

**This story has been in my computer for quite a while now but I only decided to post it today (don't know why, actually). This story is finished actually, but I want to recieve a decent number of reviews befor I post it all, so click that little button on your left once you finish reading, okay? Thanks!**

**You want a summary? Well, Jack runs into Molly when he's taken under arrest and she promises him that she'll take care of Rose. I know that the summary is not that good, but read the story anyway. I promise that you'll enjoy it.**

**As you know, I owe nothing. I'm just a very obsessed Titanic fan who is very unhappy about the way the film ended.**

**You are getting tired of me, aren't you? Fine, I'll leave you alone. Review, please!**

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Prologue 

Molly was walking through the corridors of the Titanic, looking for an officer. She had heard a noise she didn't like and wanted to know what had just happened. She saw a group of them and walked to where they were, but to her surprise, she found that there was someone else joining them.

Jack Dawson, a young man she had met few days ago, was with them.

"Jack? What is going on?" She asked.

"Molly, thanks God. Rose, you have to help Rose." he said looking at his friend.

"Rose? What about her? Is she alright?" She was getting worried and worried.

"You have to make sure that she's. We're sinking, Molly, I know we are. You have to make sure that she makes it to a boat. Please. Help her."

Molly could see the concern in the boy's face. She had no idea of what was going on, but she assured him that everything was going to be fine.

"Don't let them hurt her, Molly."

"I promise, Jack. I will help her. But tell me, what is going on?"

He couldn't reply. The officers pushed him down the stairs, to a place Molly didn't know. She tried to ask them why they were taking Jack under arrest, but they refused to tell her anything.

The last thing Molly heard coming out of Jack's mouth was:

"Keep your promise, Molly. Help her."

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His voice hunted her. It had been more than a month since the Titanic, but she couldn't keep her head out of it. She usually blamed herself for not seeing what was going on sooner.

He had told her that the ship was sinking, but she had thought it was a joke. After all, wasn't she 'unsinkable'? Maybe if she had trust him, she could have saved him. But it was too late now. Jack Dawson had died.

At least she hadn't forgotten her promise. Rose was sitting next to her, staring through the window of the train they were traveling in. She had changed a lot since the first time Molly saw her. She was no longer the perfectly brought up young woman traveling to America to get married. She had left all that behind when she fell in love with Jack.

"You're going to love Chicago." Molly said, just to say something.

But Rose didn't reply. She didn't even move. Molly decided to leave her alone with her pain for another while.

Then, suddenly, the youngest spoke. It was as if she was somewhere beyond that train.

"You don't have to do this, Molly."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. You've been through a lot and you need someone to help you while you recover."

She hadn't told her about the promise she had made to Jack, knowing that she would tell her that she didn't want her help. It was better that way, she thought.

"I can take care on my own, Molly. Besides, you've done enough for me. You already helped me to break… to leave my family."

"C'mon, Rose. Don't ask me to let you go, because that's the one thing I won't do. Let me help you, at least for now. More than ever you need a friend."

Rose looked at her friend and smiled.

"Thank you, Molly. Really. If it wasn't for you, right now I'd probably be marrying Cal."

"Well, I couldn't let that happen, right? But lets not think about all those painful things for now."

"You're right. They are too painful."

The oldest told her some things about her family. She had a son, Richard, who was almost 22 years old and a daughter, Amy, who was 16. Their father, Molly's husband, worked in an office. She assured her that the 3 of them would be very happy to have her in their house.

"Amy has always wanted a sister." She told her.

When they got to the train station it was getting late. Molly looked around to see if her family was there, but she didn't see them.

"I can't believe them! They knew I was coming, why didn't they go to the train station?"

They rented a car that took them to Molly's house. She didn't have a key, so she rang the bell. A maid opened the door.

"Mrs. Brown! This is a miracle! We thought that you were dead!"

"You wish! Where's my family?"

"Mr. Richard is in the living room and Miss. Amy is in the garden. Mr. Joseph hasn't come from work yet."

"Ok, ok. By the way, this is Rose. She'll be staying with us for a while."

The maid went to get a room ready for Rose, while she followed Molly to the living room.

There was a tall, dark haired man sitting there.

"Mother! I didn't know you were coming." He said when he saw Molly.

"I told you a thousand times that I was going to stay in New York for a couple of days and then I was going to come here. Don't you remember?"

"Yes, but we all thought that, after what happened, you didn't feel like traveling."

"Of course I felt like traveling. No iceberg will stop me from seeing my children."

A door opened unexpectedly behind Molly. She turned around and saw a tinny girl looking at her.

"Amy. Did you think I was dead too?"

"Please, mother. I was going to pick you up in the train station but he wouldn't let me. I think he did something to the car and he doesn't want dad to know. Of course we all knew you were coming today." She said pointing at her brother.

Rose smiled. She would have loved to have a brother or sister. Maybe everything would have been different then.

"Anyway…." Molly said. Her kids stopped fighting and looked at her mother. It was only then that they noticed Rose. "This is Rose. She'll be staying with us for a while."

Amy walked towards her, smiling.

"Hello! I'm Amy and that's my brother Richard. It's nice to have a girl around for a change. Richard can be so annoying sometimes…"

"Don't listen to her. I assure you that she's crazy."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both."

Molly watched them and smile.

"There you go, Jack." She thought. "She's safe now."


	2. Chapter 1

**I've decided to post another chapter for you. It's pretty much the same as the prologue, but tald from another point of view (which is the point of view from where the story will be narrated from now on).**

**Hope you liked the first chapter and you like this one too.**

**And remember: the more you review, the sooner I will update.**

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**Chapter One**

When I was a little girl I used to think that there was no such thing as a perfect family. I guess it was because the only family I knew, my own, was far from perfect. But I've learn that there is at least one perfect family: Molly's.

The moment I met Molly Brown I realized how great woman she was. She was the opposite of the women I knew and that was why I liked her. And I think she liked me too. We became friends instantly. She understood what I felt. She was the only one on that damn ship I trusted. Well, she and Jack.

So I didn't hesitate when she asked me to join her to Chicago when we were on the Carpathia. I was having a very bad time back then and I think that if Molly wasn't there I would have jumped off the ship.

But how did I end up in the Carpathia, feeling a pain so hard in my chest that I would have loved to kill myself just to stop it?

I was going back to America from Europe to get married. I hated my life and everyone in it, so I tried to kill myself, but I met the love of my life and he showed me that I would only hurt myself if I jumped. Not my mother and not my fiancée. I would be the one who suffered, as usual.

Jack, the man who saved me, and I became very close friends. But I soon realized that I didn't care for him in the way I cared for a friend. He had managed to charm me with his blue eyes and bright smile. I fell deeply in love with Jack. And I really thought he had feelings for me too.

But my love was tasted the night of April, 14°. Everything was going on perfectly and I really thought that, for once, I would be able to do whatever I wanted and that was to go with Jack. But there was an iceberg that wouldn't let me be happy for the first time in almost 18 years.

The Titanic, the ship we were on, sank that night, killing over 1500 people. I was one of the first to get to a lifeboat, along with my mother and Molly. I was like in a dream and I didn't actually know what I was doing. When reality hit me I realized that my place was back on the Titanic, with Jack.

But it was too late to come back. Though I begged to the officer to come back up he wouldn't listen. All I could do was cry. Jack Dawson, the man I loved, was somewhere on the ship that was about to disappear under the cold waters of the Atlantic and it was my fault.

Cal, my fiancée, had fooled everybody by placing a very expensive diamond necklace in Jack's pocket when we went to warn them about the danger we were facing. An officer searched him pulled the diamond out of his coat. When I saw this I felt hurt, because I thought Jack had only used me to get to Cal's money. Not for a second did I think that Cal could possibly be such a bastard. I never thought him capable of sending a man to jail just because I loved him.

As I saw the floating palace going down I realized that the love Jack and I sheared was real and that he would love me even if I was traveling in steerage. As I said, I tried to make him go back up, but he was too panicked. I even tried to jump back up, but I felt someone holding me tightly.

"You will solve nothing jumping back. He wouldn't have wanted you to jump."

I looked to the woman who was keeping me from Jack and I saw Molly. There was something in her expression that comfort me and made me sit down.

"He'll be fine, Rose."

The Titanic sank a couple of hours after the collision. It was loud and it brought tears to my eyes, but what came after that was worst. The thousands of voices crying for help. I could have sworn that Jack was one of them, but I knew that it was impossible to distinguish any of the voices. I suggested that we came back, but no one except Molly seemed to share my idea. I felt like punching the officer and grabbing an oar, but I was too overwhelm by the situation to do anything.

The Carpathia picked us up the following morning. My mother tried to take me to the first class section to wait for Cal, but I managed to escape. I was going to go with Jack and I knew my mother would never accept it.

For a few minutes I felt happy again. All I had to do was find Jack and start a new life, together.

"May I take your name, please?" an officer asked me

"Dawson. Rose Dawson." The words came to my lips without me noticing it. Surprisingly, I didn't feel weird taking his name. After all, I felt more like a Dawson that I DeWitt Bukater. The officer thanked me and wrote my name down. He was moving towards another woman but I stopped him. "Excuse me, could you tell me if my husband is in your list?"

I knew that the last boat had already arrived, so Jack's name had to be on the list. I waited for a couple of seconds and then the officer looked at me.

"I'm sorry, Mrs."

I felt as if the Carpathia had hit another iceberg. I felt everything around me shacking.

"What? No! He has to be there. Jack Dawson. Check again." I begged.

He felt pity for me and checked again, but there wasn't any Dawson.

"I'm sorry Mrs." he said and walked again.

I stood there for a couple of minutes, unable to think clearly. But when I recovered my strength, I ran to the back of the ship. There I had tried to jump once and Jack had stopped me. It wouldn't happen twice.

I put my hands on the rail and I was about to climb over when I heard my name being called. I turned around and saw Molly.

"What are you doing, Rose?" she asked very concerned.

Molly talked me out of suicide and convinced me to go with her to Chicago, where she and her family lived. We stayed in New York for a couple of weeks before traveling.

When we got to Molly's place we were received by her family. Watching her being hugged by her son and daughter made me realized that there was a perfect family. I can't lie, I felt nervous about fitting in such a incredible group, but when Amy, Molly's daughter, said that she had always wanted a girl around, I was sure that I would have no problems there.

I had found a place where I could feel safe. A place I could call home.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

I was so exhausted from the train trip that I sleep without dreaming of Jack the night I got to Molly's house. But as I got ready for breakfast I feared I would be forced to think of him again because of Molly's family.

However, when I join the Browns in the living room, I wasn't received with questions. I guessed Molly had had something to do with it and I thanked her with my eyes, hopping she would get it. Apparently she did, for she gave me a smile and she continued to talk about England and the rest of Europe. Never did she mentioned Titanic or anything about it.

However, Joseph, her husband, couldn't resist for long the curiosity and he asked me what my name was.

"Joseph!" Molly exclaimed.

"I'm Rose Dawson, Mr. Brown. But please, call me Rose."

Molly looked at me with a big smile in her face. I smiled back at her.

"Okay then. And call me Joseph. I don't see the point in calling people by their last name. Why do our parents name us then?"

We all laughed at his comment and continued with breakfast until the man announced that he had to go to the office. Richard also had to leave, so I was left with the two ladies.

"You know what I was thinking? You don't own a decent dress Rose. Why don't we go shopping?" Molly asked.

I blushed involuntarily. I felt bad enough for staying with them and I couldn't let her pay for my clothes. However, it was true that I didn't have more than a couple of dresses that Molly had brought with her from Europe for Amy. I ended up accepting, promising myself that I would get a job and pay her back.

We had a lot of fun that day. Molly treated me in the same way she treated Amy, and the girl and I behaved like sisters. I couldn't help to think that my mother would've never allow me to ran through the stores.

"_Don't think about that woman."_ I told myself. _"Her daughter is dead, isn't she?"_

Yes. Rose DeWitt Bukater was dead.

"So tell me, Rose. Which dress do you like the most? If I may, I think that white is not your color. You're too pale."

"I think you're wrong, mother. I think she looks great in white. It really fits with her hair."

"Well, I like the yellow one better, so I guess we'll have to take them both."

"No, Molly. I couldn't possibly accept…"

"Nonsense. Besides, what are you planning to wear? Two dresses? I don't think so."

She was right, so I had to let them buy me several dresses and a coat. We were out of the house for the whole afternoon. By the time we came back, Richard and Joseph were already waiting for us.

"I see you got mum to buy you that dress you wanted, Amy."

"Shut up, Richard." Replied my friend and she went to her room. I followed her upstairs and locked in my room. Big mistake.

Since the train journey, I hadn't had a moment alone to think, so when I sat on the bed and saw my reflection in the mirror all the events of the past few days came back to my mind making me feel sick.

"_Stop it, Rose."_ I warm myself. _"Don't do that to yourself."_

I forced myself to do something else, so I began to fix my new dresses in the cupboard. It was then that I noticed another dress already hanging there. It was my old dress, the one I had worn the night the Titanic sank. Molly had had it washed and had put it there, perhaps to remind me that it had happen. I smiled, wandering if I would ever feel strong enough to wear it.

I couldn't help to think that it would stay there forever. I didn't see myself strong enough to handle it.

Soon, I heard the maid calling us for dinner. I fixed my hair a little and went downstairs.


	4. Chapter 3

**I'm going to do a favor to all of you out there who have read this story and I'm going to post the rest of it. It's better this way, I think. **

**As usual, thank you for reading. And please, please, please, leave a review, would you? It would mean the world to me. :S**

**I did write Titanic, actually, but Leonardo DiCaprio seduced me and I had to tell him, so he and his friend James Cameron stole the plot from me... You know I'm kidding, right? I owe nothing and I never got to meet DiCarpio either, so...**

**Anyway, I'll leave you alone with the story now. **

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****Chapter Three**

I wasn't feeling ok. Ever since we got to Chicago, about two weeks before, I hadn't been able to face food without wanting to throw up. I had thought it was my way of dealing with grief, but I was starting to get worried about it. I hadn't told the Browns, though. I knew they would be worried and I didn't want them to feel that they needed to take care of me. Besides, the worst time were the mornings, when I woke up.

"Rose, I have to say this, you don't look good. Have you been eating properly?" Molly asked me. I had felt a rush of nausea as soon as the maid presented me with the food.

"I'm just fine, Molly." I replied.

"You sure? Because my room shares a wall with your bathroom…"

"It's nothing, Molly. Trust me. Now if you excuse me, I have to look for something in my room."

I stood up and ran to my bathroom. I didn't realized that Amy had followed me.

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say that you're pregnant." She said when I emerged.

"Amy, don't be…" I had thought it to be impossible, but then I started to think. I hadn't had my period since we were in Europe, and that was two months ago. In addition, there was that afternoon on the Renault. "Oh dear God." I exclaimed, sitting down on the bed.

"Rose, are you alright? I was just kidding!" my friend asked me.

I didn't listen to her. I just went downstairs to look for Molly. I found her near the door.

"I was going to take a walk, would you like to join me?" she asked.

"I need to talk to you. In private."

She gave me a look that showed her curiosity and guided me to Joseph's study.

"I have a problem. Well, not a problem, actually. It might be a problem to you, but not for me. It's… It's the best thing that ever happened to me." I said, unable to stop smiling.

"Rose, what is it? Is everything alright?"

"I'm pregnant. With Jack's son."

"Good Lord, are you sure?"

"Well, I didn't have a doctor confirm it, but I'm pretty sure. All the symptoms are there: the morning sickness, the lack of period… Molly, I'm having Jack's son!"

"That's terrific news, Rose. I'm so happy to hear that. But you need to see a doctor, just in case, you know. I'm so happy for you! I'm going to be a grandma."

I smiled. I couldn't believe that I was pregnant. It was as if God was giving me back a part of the things he took away from me. Having this baby meant having Jack back, or at least a part of him.

As I caressed my stomach, I couldn't stop a couple of tears that fell from my eyes. Molly noticed them and placed by my side.

"Don't worry, honey. This baby will be the luckiest one. He or she will have a brave mother here and a terrific father in heaven, looking after both of them."

"I know, I know. It's just that it doesn't seem fair. Look at my case. My father was a horrible father, he never paid much attention to me, and yet, he lived to see me grow. Jack would have been such a great dad! I can almost see him taking our kid ice-fishing, teaching him or she how to draw… But he won't be able to do any of that. And this kid will live all his life without knowing him. I think that's unfair, Molly."

The woman placed a comforting hand on my back and tried to calm me down.

"This baby won't even have Jack's last name!"

"Yes, Rose, he will. You are Rose Dawson, remember?"

"No, Molly, as much as I would love to be Mrs. Jack Dawson, I'm not."

"Yes, but this bay is Jack's son or daughter. He or she has the right to be called Dawson."

We stood there for a couple of minutes, until I announced that I needed to clear my head so that I was going for a walk. Molly offered to tell the rest of the family the big news. I appreciated it, knowing that it would mean a lot of questions that I was not ready to answer yet.

I was out of the house for a couple of hours, and I the time I thought of Jack and our baby. We would have been so happy, the three of us…

When I got back home it was nearly time to eat. I went upstairs to change my clothes before dinner, but when I opened the door to my room, I was surprised to see Richard and Amy waiting for me.

I guessed that Molly had already told them about my pregnancy and I feared that they would judged me.

"Do you have a moment? There's something we need to talk about." The man asked. I told them that I could talk, so the three of us sat down.

"Mum just told us about the baby." Amy said. "About everything, I mean."

"Look, I know what you think, but I really, really love Jack and I'm sure that we would have married, if the ship hadn't sank."

"We know. It's not your fault that that ship hit the iceberg. We just wanted you to know that we are here to help you, whatever you need. Well, I'm not good with babies, but Amy here is a big fan, so she'll be more than glad to help you."

"It's true, Rose. You just have to ask."

I was touch by their gesture. I couldn't believe that I had been afraid of what they may say.

"Thank you. Thank you very much. Really." I said, hugging each of them.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

The next day, Molly took me to see doctor Jonathan Calvert, who confirmed what I already knew.

"Congratulations, Mrs Dawson. Your baby should be born next winter. I'd say right around January."

I couldn't believe that I was going to be a mother. Not a year ago, I used to think that bringing kids to this world was something I did not want to do; what for? To be raised by Cal? But now that I was expecting Jack's son, I couldn't think of anything that pleased me more.

Molly and I didn't talk on our way back home. I was too busy thinking of the things I had to do before the baby arrived. I had to move out. Molly and the Browns had been great to me, but I couldn't force them to take care of my baby. I also had a lot of things to buy, like clothes and furniture. So, what I really needed was one thing: money.

"What are you thinking about?" Molly asked me after a while.

"Nothing. I was thinking that I ought to find a job."

She stopped and looked at me.

"A job? What for?"

"Well, I need money to support me and my baby, don't you think?"

"That's nonsense! I can take care of you. Of both of you."

"No, Molly. I couldn't possibly ask you to do that. You've done enough…"

"I mean it, Rose. I am not letting you on your own, especially with a baby to take care of. No, Rose. You are staying with me at least until that baby is born. Then we'll figure things out."

"Ok, ok."

We had reached Molly's house. When we got inside, I said that I was tired and that I wanted to lay down before dinner. Molly did no comments about it.

Once I was in my room, I began to think. On the one hand, I loved having someone to take care of me. But there was something about Molly that I could not understand. There was something behind her concern and I wanted to know what that was. I couldn't see why someone would be so good to me for not reason.

"_Maybe it is because you're not used to nice people."_ I told myself as I laid on the bed, but that explanation didn't quite convince me. I decided, however, to put the matter to rest, at least for now. All I wanted to think about right now was my baby.

I must've fallen asleep, because all of the sudden I saw Amy's concern face over me.

"Are you alright?" she asked when I opened my eyes.

"Why wouldn't I be fine?" I replied as I sat on the bed.

"I heard you screaming. You were saying something like 'Don't take him; he didn't do it!' and I got worried."

I looked down, embarrassed.

"I must have been thinking of Jack. Of the last time I ever saw him. God, I was so wrong then…. I can't believe that I actually let them take him away from me."

Amy put a hand on my shoulder to comfort me. She seemed to understand me, even though she didn't know the whole story. At least not from me. So I was surprised when she said.

"It must've been terrible to see the officers take him down the stairs…. I can imagine your pain."

"Wait! Down the stairs? How do you know?"

I had only seen the officers taking Jack out of the room. Cal had closed the door behind Lovejoy and I had never seen neither of them again. I couldn't see how Amy knew that they had taken him downstairs when I didn't know it for sure.

"My mother told me, why?" she answered.

So Molly had seen Jack after we got separated? I then understood everything. The reason why Molly had been so kind to me was Jack. He had probably told her about the diamond.

I ran downstairs to face Molly and to demand an explanation. I found her in a small stateroom playing cards with Richard.

"What did he tell you?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?" she inquired.

"Jack. What did Jack tell you when he was being taken under arrest? I know you saw him, Molly. Tell me, what did he say to you? Did he mention me? Was he mad at me?" I had so many things that I wanted to know and I thought that my friend could have the answer.

"Okay, okay, okay. I did see Jack and yes, we talked." She confessed.

"Was he mad at me?" I repeated.

"Mad? God, no! He was worried about you. He told me about the diamond and made me promise that I wouldn't let Cal hurt you. He wasn't mad, Rose. In fact, I think he could never be mad at you."

I smiled sadly.

"So that's why you've been taking care of me? Because Jack told you to?"

"I'm not going to lie to you. The reason why I looked for you on the Carpathia was the promise that I made to Jack. But…." She added seeing that I had opened my mouth to complain. "But he never asked me to bring you home or anything. He just wanted to be sure that you wouldn't be hurt."

"I can't believe that Jack actually did that. I can't believe that, in spite of everything that happened, he still thought about me in that moment."

"I know he didn't say the actual words, Rose, but he loved you. That was why he was so worried about you."

"I loved him too." I said fighting the tears. "God, I still do! I wish I had told him. Molly, I feel so bad! I loved Jack but I didn't show him how much. He risked his life for me and I couldn't pay him back. I should've jumped from that boat."

"Like I told you on the boat, Rose, there wasn't anything that you could do. Imagine what would've happened if you jumped: you would have killed both yourself and Jack's baby. You know that it's better this way…."

"If it is the right choice, Molly, why does it hurt so much?" I asked crying.

My friend hugged me.

"I know it hurts, honey, but you'll get over it. Soon you'll feel less and less pain. Trust me. Jack will take care of you and he'll make sure that you don't suffer."

I cried for a long while. I knew that Molly was right: I did have to start again, so I had to get everything off my system. Jack would be – had to be – only a memory. A very good, yet painful, memory.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

It was amazing how time flew now that I had something to do. Before I could tell it was December already. I hadn't been able to get a job, so I had no money to get me a place to move out to when the baby came – which would be very soon now. I had looked for a job, but everytime I found something decent, Molly or Amy found me something better to do on the exact same day that I had the interview. It became pretty obvious to me that they didn't want me to work.

I knew that someday I would have to leave, that I couldn't stay at Molly's forever, but on the other hand, I loved to feel part of that family. And besides, the truth was that I was a bit scared of being an eighteen year old single mother. What if I turned into _my_ mother? I needed someone to guide me, and since Jack wouldn't be there….

It was almost Christmas now. Everybody in the house was excited about the holidays; you could feel the Christmas spirit floating everywhere. One morning when I went to have breakfast I was shocked to find the whole dinning-room decorated.

"Oh, Rose. I was hopping that you wouldn't come down until we had everything ready. I don't believe that you are used to this kind of things." Molly told me when she saw my face at the sight of the room.

I nodded. Believe it or not, the DeWitt Bukaters weren't the kind of people who like to decorate the whole house with a gigantic Christmas tree in the middle of the ballroom. I recalled the house being adorned only once or twice, but only because my parents had held the Christmas dance that year.

"Come and see the tree! It's enormous!" Amy told me as she grabbed my hand and guided me towards the living-room.

When she opened the door to me, I gasped. It was exactly what I had imagined a house should look like during Christmas time. Someone had even hung boots from the mantelpiece. I read the names: Joe, Molly, Richard, Amy, Rose and another one smaller than the rest that read 'Baby Dawson'. I smiled.

But the most amazing thing in the room was the tree. As Amy had said, it was huge! It had golden and red globes hanging from every branch and a couple of presents laying on the floor next to it.

"So…. What do you say?" Joe asked me as he studied my reaction.

"Whoa!" I replied without being able to take my eyes from the tree.

"That's what I thought."

We spent the rest of the morning finishing with the decoration. I didn't even care that we missed breakfast – though the baby did and complained about it with a painless kick in my stomach.

"I love Christmas!" Molly said when we all sat to have lunch.

"I think that for the first time I can say that I love it too. This was fun!" I answered.

"If you liked this you should see what we do on Christmas day. I don't want to ruin the surprise, so all I'm gonna say is that no one can hide a present like my dear mother." Richard added.

"Remember that time when we made you look for them in the front yard? That must have been quite a scandal!"

"They threw me out to the street in my pajamas in the middle of December! It was miracle that I didn't get a flew!"

I laughed, trying to think of a pleasant memory to share with them, but failing.

"And speaking about presents, I think I found us the perfect gift for this year." Amy announced. We all looked curiously at her.

"The other day I was walking through the park and I came across this very talented artist and I thought 'uh, the drawing that we have at home is rather old now, we could use a new one'. So I thought that we could have this artist paint a picture of us. Of the five of us, I mean."

I sensed Molly looking at me. Obviously she thought that the simple mention of an artist could throw me back in time, to Jack. Well…. She was right. All the happiness faded a little as I thought of my love, but I didn't let her know. I had to be strong.

"Actually, it's a good idea. It is true, we do need a new drawing." Bill commented.

"And you should see his work! I tell you, I've never seen something like it before." I asked myself if Amy was being completely honest with us. I wandered if the drawings were all that she loved about this artist.

"And did you talk to him?" Richard asked.

"Well…. I talked to the man sitting by the drawings. He's a very nice Italian and we were talking for quite a while. He told me that his friend – the artist – was working but that he was in charge of selling the sketches."

"I guess we could give it a try, don't you honey?"

"Of course. It will be nice to have a picture of us. It's a pity that the baby isn't born yet. I would love to have him or her in the picture."

"Maybe, if the artists is imaginative enough, he could draw the baby."

"Okay, then it's settled. I'm going to talk to them." Amy said. "Do you want to come with me, Rose?"

"Oh, no. Something tells me that you rather be alone with him." She opened the mouth to complain but I didn't let her talk. "Besides, I have to go to the doctor's office."

After lunch we all went to do what we had to do. Molly went to have tea with some friends, Joe and Richard went to the office and Amy went to the park – though she was a little bit too dressed up for the occasion, if you ask me. I headed towards doctor Calvert's office, who told me that the baby could be born any day now, so I should take care of myself.

"You should rest now, Rose. And tell Molly that you are not to receive any big shock. Call me if you need anything."

"Thank you, Jonathan. You've been an angel to us."

As I walked back home a bit my lip, realizing what I had been doing for the past months: I had been flirting with the doctor! I couldn't believe it, but it was true. Oh, shame on me! And pregnant! I had never felt so ashamed in my entire life. Ashamed and mad at myself. Somehow it felt like a betrayal to Jack. And yet, I could do it, couldn't I? I mean, Jack was dead and I would never see him again, would I? I woman has her needs.

Oh, damn hormones!


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

When I got home I had already decided that I was going to change doctor. Jonathan Calvert was just too good looking and my hormones were out of control. Who knew what they would make me do!

I had taken more time than usual to go back so I guessed that everybody would be back by now. But instead of going straight to the living-room, where they would probably be, I went to my room. Somehow I felt unable to face them.

When I went downstairs, a bit more calmed now, I heard some voices coming from the room. For reasons I still don't understand, instead of opening the door I stood there, listening to the conversation.

"This is a very nice house." I heard someone – a man – saying. Since he had Italian accent I guessed that he was the man Amy had been talking about.

"Oh, thank you." Amy replied. I could see from her voice that she was inexplicably shy right now, which confirmed my theory: Amy felt something for this man.

There was a very long pause. I wandered if the artist was there or if it was just Amy and her new special friend. If it was the former, I thought I should enter the room and talk to the artist – since Amy seemed to be absorbed by his friend –; if it was the latest, I'd better leave them alone. But before I could decide what path to take, the Italian talked again.

"So…. How many people?"

"People? Oh! The drawing, sure. Let's see…. We are four…. And then there's Rose, and the baby. Of course, the baby. We were hoping that you could draw the baby, though he or she hasn't been born yet. Perhaps you could imagine him or her from looking at it's mother."

"Sure." A different voice replied. That voice made my heart ache and I didn't know why. It felt so familiar…. All I knew was that I now felt sad and that I wanted to cry for no apparent reason.

"Hormones." I muttered as I cleaned my eyes.

Just then I heard some more voices and I knew at once that Richard and Joe were back from the office. They had probably entered from the other door in the room.

"Hi, Amy. Who's your friend?" Richard asked.

"Richard, dad, this is the artist that I've talked about and this is his friend."

"Oh. Pleased to meet you. Amy tells me that she has never seen a better artist than you. I'm Joe Brown, but please, call me Joe."

"I'm Fabrizio DeRossi." The Italian said.

"And I'm Jack Dawson."

I froze. I literally froze. I heard the voices from inside the room but I didn't care. I wanted to open the door, but I couldn't! It was so frustrating!

I must have stayed like that for a couple of minutes, but it felt like hours to me. Tears ran down my cheeks but I didn't even bothered to wash them away. All I wanted was to someone to open the door and find me there.

And then Molly arrived.

"Rose, honey, what are you doing there? Are you alright, you're crying!" She told me as she walked towards me.

"Jack." I managed to whisper.

"You miss Jack? Oh, honey, I know. But…."

"No, Molly, you don't understand. Jack's in there!"

My friend looked at me not quite understanding. After all, who would have thought that Jack would ever be a door away from us. When my words sank in, she exclaimed:

"Wait, wait, wait. WHO IS WHERE?"

The people inside the room must have heard her, because a couple of seconds later, Richard opened the door. As I was standing by the wall, gasping for air, they didn't see me.

"Mother, don't you know it's bad to over hear conversations?" Molly's son asked playfully.

"Molly?" Jack asked. I could sense the hope that he had put into that phrase. I immediately knew that he had been looking for my friend and that he was happy to find her.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph! So it is you! Jack Dawson, you owe us a big explanation!"

"So this Jack Dawson is THE Jack Dawson?" Amy asked.

"Molly, I will, I will tell you everything that you want to know, but you have to tell me something first. Please, I beg you: did you keep your promise?"

I imagined that Molly was giving him the sympathetic look she always gave people when she wanted to create a certain mood. I hated that look and I guessed that Jack was hating it right now too. Well, it was my duty to avoid him all that pain.

"She did." I said as I stepped into the room.

Jack raised his eyes to look at me – those beautiful, blue eyes.

"Rose." He replied smiling. I smiled back.

I would've jumped to his arms, but the moment I intended to do so, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. This wasn't like any pain that I had known before. I grabbed the doorframe for support and in no time I found Jack's arms around my waist.

"Are you okay?" He asked me as he helped me sit on a chair.

"Sure." I answered, catching my breath. "If by okay you mean pregnant with a baby that, up until half an hour ago, didn't have a father, then yes, I'm okay." Again, the hormones speaking.

"Pregnant?" He asked. "Are you…. Are you sure?" He asked.

"No, it's just that I was really hungry today." I said angrily. Jack looked down, ashamed.

"I think that Rose might be in labor right now. We have to get her to the hospital." Molly ordered.

* * *

**If you thought that I was going to have Rose date Dr.Calvert, you don't know me at all. Jack HAS to be alive - did you hear that, James? If I can make him live, why can't you?**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

When I woke up later that same afternoon, I vaguely recalled the events of that day, though I couldn't say what had really happened and what had been a dream. I knew for a fact that I had had my baby, but as for the rest….

"Oh, you are awake. Good." I turned to look at Amy, who apparently had stayed by my side all this time.

"How is she?" I asked, referring to my daughter. I knew it was a girl because I had heard the doctor telling me that she was a girl as he placed her on my arms.

"Oh, she's perfect! Ten fingers and ten toes."

I smiled and sat on the bed. I couldn't believe that I had a daughter! But that wasn't all I cared about in that moment. I had had a vision of Jack and I needed to know if it had been real.

"Is…. You know what's funny? I had a dream of Jack. I dreamt that he was alive. How crazy is that?" I said, trying to sound cool.

"Rose, it wasn't a dream. It was real. In fact, he's outside right now. I think that mum is giving him _the_ talk."

"Oh, God. So it happened? This is bad…. This was so not the way that I wanted him to know about the baby! What if he doesn't want her? What if he thinks that I'm using the baby to make him marry me?"

My friend laughed.

"What could possibly be so funny?" I asked, annoyed.

"You should've seen his face when the doctor put the baby in his arms. I mean, he was scared to death, but he looked happy. I guess everybody experiences that when they become parents for the first time."

"He was happy?" I repeated.

"Yes, Rose, he was happy."

I smiled.

"He must be very worried about you. I better call him."

I thanked her and she left. Not five minutes later the door opened again, this time by Jack. Seeing him there, carrying our baby in his arms, brought tears to my eyes, but I was a careful enough to hide them.

"Just so you know, I never intended to insult you earlier. My hormones have been out of control lately."

He just laughed and passed the baby to me.

"I was stupid. I should've never asked you if you were pregnant. I guess I was in shock. Too many surprises too soon."

"I never thought I'd see you again." I whispered after a pause.

"For a moment I thought that too. When I didn't see your name in the list, I thought that you had done something stupid, like jumping from the boat and to the Titanic. But I had Molly's word that nothing would happen to you, so I chose to trust her and not to panic. However, I must confess, I was starting to lose hopes."

"But I don't understand. Molly's a very well-known woman, why couldn't you find her? I imagine that her address must be easy to get."

"Sure, for a decent looking girl. Apparently, I don't seem too trustworthy. I imagine that people thought that I couldn't possibly have something to do with the famous Molly Brown."

I laughed. The truth was that Jack didn't look like the kind of people someone in Molly's place would talk to. But our friend was a special case.

Suddenly I felt incapable of looking at Jack in the eye, so I looked down to the baby that had fallen asleep in my arms. Besides, I had a very important question that I needed to ask and I did not want to see his face when he replied.

"What are we going to do now?" I said, still looking at the baby.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…. About everything! What are we going to do? Everything has change now: we have a baby now. Well, at least I have a baby. I understand that this is not what we've imagined. That carefree life we talked about is not suitable for us now that we have a baby. And I also know that I wasn't supposed to be pregnant, but…." I was stopped by his laughter. I looked up and found his sitting by my side on the bed.

"Rose, when we were on the ship I did make plans. Believe it or not, I am not that carefree. I usually have some idea of the places I want to visit. So, on the ship, I did make plans for us; for the two of us. I confess that I never thought of the possibility of having a baby, at least not right away, but now that has happened…." He paused and I looked curiously at him. This was it; my whole life depended on what he said right now. "Rose, there's no place where I rather be than here, by your side and with our baby."

"So…. You're cool about the baby?" I asked, trying not too sound too surprised.

"More than cool, I'm happy. Even better, I love the baby." He paused and looked me in the eye. "And I love you too, Rose."

I started to cry when I told him that I loved him too. He smiled and kissed me.

"Oh, look at the happy family!" Molly exclaimed when she saw us.

"We wouldn't be a happy family if it wasn't for you, Molly. Thanks for keeping your promise."

"Always a pleasure, son. So…. Have you thought about a name yet?"

"No…. Somehow I always thought that it would be a boy so I had thought of naming him Jack, but…. She's not a boy. How about you? Any ideas?" I asked the father of my baby.

"Surprisingly, I do." Jack replied. Molly and I looked amazed at him. "How about – and tell me if you really like it because we can always think of another one – Josephine? I thought about it when we were 'flying'."

"So you really have thought about us? About the future?" I asked.

"Yes! See, I told you I'm not all the carefree I might look like."

"Josephine's perfect." I declared. "Josephine Dawson."

"Okay then, Josephine Dawson. I'm gonna tell your decision to the rest. By the way, have you seen, Amy?"

"The last time I saw her she was talking to Fabri."

"Oh…. Interesting. Amy and Fabrizio…. So I'd better talk to Joseph. Somehow he still thinks she's only five."

We all laughed. I imagined Jack as an overprotective dad but I couldn't. The thought itself made me want to laugh. Well, I guessed there was plenty of time before our little Josephine fell in love with some street artist. Jack and I would have already figured out what to do by then. One thing was certain: I was not going to act like my mother.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"Okay, so Molly…. You sit there. Like that, exactly. Rose, hold Josephine's head a bit higher so I can see her. Joe and Richard…. There! Amy…. What are you doing?" Jack asked annoyed.

"Can't I just sit?" Amy replied, equally annoyed.

"Not for another month. Only married women can be sit."

"That's unfair."

"Tell your mother. She's the one who wanted an old fashion picture. Now stand there, right by Fabri. Okay?" Jack paused, looking at us, a satisfied look on his face. "Now, for Heaven's sake, try to stay still. This shouldn't take long."

We all obeyed.

It was the day before Christmas and Jack was going to draw the picture of the family. He wasn't too excited about it because he was used to another kind of pictures, but he was so thankful that Molly had taken care of me for all this time that he had agreed to do it.

Jack and I had been married for a couple of weeks now. As soon as the doctor let us go back home Jack took me to the church and we got married. It was a beautiful, private and mostly short ceremony; in other words, nothing like the wedding I was going to have with Cal.

Amy had gotten engaged too – with Fabri! Richard and Joseph weren't too happy about it at the beginning, but Jack convinced them that Fabri was a good man. It had been him who had helped Jack back on the Titanic. Fabrizio and Tomy had seen when Lovejoy was taking my love under arrest and they had freed him after Cal's valet left. Needless is to say how happy I was when I heard this.

The drawing was soon done. Jack looked at it one last time before giving it to Molly.

"For the record: I don't usually do this kind of portraits. I'm more used to…. Other kind of models." Jack said, grinning at me.

"Yes, Rose has told me about your work." The woman said with a disapproving look on the face, though we all knew she was faking it. "This is very good, actually. Oh, and I love that you drew yourself in the picture."

"What can I say? I have a gift." Again, he looked at me.

"You surly do." Molly replied, not getting the whole meaning of that statement.

That Christmas was the best Christmas ever!

Richard had been right when he told me that the Browns could hide a present better than anyone. When we woke up that morning, Molly immediately put us to look for presents. We spent the whole morning searching. Jack turned out to be a great seeker and found almost all the presents. Amy, on the other hand, couldn't find one, but now that I think about it, it might have been because she was too busy making out with Fabrizio when she thought that no one was watching.

After that we had lunch. Molly had sent the cooker and all the people who worked for her home for the holidays so me and Amy had had to cook for the whole family. It wasn't as bad as we had thought it would be. While I was in the kitchen I discovered that cooking was something that I enjoyed doing and something I was good at. The whole family was pleasantly surprised.

Living at the Brown's house was amazing, but when the new year arrived Jack and I felt that it was time to move on. There were a lot of things that we both wanted to do and a lot of places that we wanted to visit, like ridding in Santa Monica's famous roller-coaster.

So, after Amy and Fabri's wedding – which took place shortly after the holidays – Jack, Josephine and I left. We visited so many places…. From Chippewa Falls to Florida; from New York to Santa Monica. The only place where I refused to go was Philadelphia. I wasn't ready to face my mother again; not yet.

I enjoyed each and every trip almost as much as Josephine. Everytime we went to a train station she was very happy, so, obviously, she had taken after her father. The train ride wasn't my favorite part of all, maybe because I had grown used to travel in the first class; though I found that traveling in the third class was a lot more fun. And specially with Jack.

We never spend more than a month or so in each place, but when we got to Santa Monica – two years after we left Chicago – we decided to settle down for a while.

Jack got a job drawing advertisements for theatre plays and I stayed at home looking after Josephine. I was very happy, but something inside me told me that I could do more than that. One day when Jack came back from work told me that the theatre where he worked was looking for an actress, I immediately knew that that was my chance. I told him that I wanted to give acting a chance and he, after staring at me for a second, replied.

"I knew you'd say that, so I talked to the director of the play and he has agreed to see you tomorrow."

I got the part. It wasn't much, but that small part lead to another and another and another…. Soon I was the star in a quite big play, which was on for a couple of months but it had to be cancelled when I got too big – oh! By then I was pregnant with my second child.

William was born on July, 1916. Jack was very excited to finally have a boy in the house and Josephine was happy to have a little brother to look after. I wasn't off the stage for long: since Jack usually worked at home he used to take his materials to the theatre and he looked after Will while I rehash and not one night went by when I didn't have my family watching me perform.

Things were going perfectly!


	10. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Christmas Eve, 1917

The bell rang and since I had my hands full of flour I asked Josephine if she could get it. I know that most mothers wouldn't let their 5 year old daughters open the door, but Chippewa Falls – where we used to spend the holidays – was a very safe town.

"Mummy, mummy, they're here!" I heard her say two seconds later.

I felt somehow nervous about this meeting. After all, I hadn't seen my guests in almost five years. I quickly washed my hands and went to the living room.

"Rose!" Amy said when she saw me.

"Amy, you made it!" I said as I hugged her. "Fabri!" I now hugged her husband.

"Look at you! Oh, is this…? Josephine, you may not remember me, but I'm your aunt Amy. The best aunt ever, remember that."

I laughed.

"And this are your cousins: Nicolas, Laura, Giuliana and Carlo."

The kids went to play to Josephine's room and us the adults sat down to catch up with things.

"Loved what you did to the place. Jack always talked about the house, but he made it sound as if it wasn't in good condition." Fabrizio commented.

"It wasn't. He fixed it."

"And where's that husband of yours? Still drawing?"

"I have no idea. He left earlier and took Will with him. I don't know what he was up to, but he had that devilish grin that he puts when he's up to something that I wouldn't approve."

"I think I know what that might be…." The man commented, smiling. "But I can't tell you because he'd kill me."

I was about to make him tell me, but the bell rang and I went to get it.

"Rose, dear, how are you doing?"

"It's good to see you, Molly. Come on in, please."

I showed Molly and Joseph to the living room and called the kids.

"Josephine, I have to say this: you look even more beautiful than in the pictures. You must be a heart-breaker."

"Oh, please don't say that in front of Jack. He has some problems with that."

"Already? I'm sorry for you, Josephine." Amy said.

The bell rang again before I could even sit. This time it was Richard and his wife, Elizabeth. They had had to cut their honeymoon short so they could join us.

"I'm glad you made it, Richard."

"I wouldn't miss it."

We all sat in the living room waiting for Jack to come. I was starting to get worried.

Finally, we all heard the door.

"Go…o…o… Gooo look for your mum." I heard Jack saying. A moment later Will appeared.

"Will, what happened? Where were you?" I asked him kneeling by his side. "What happened?" I repeated when I noticed that his coat was wet.

"Daddy took me ice-fishing?" he said, smiling.

"Ice… Ice-fishing? Jack!" I shouted. To this day I couldn't stand the thought of cold water and I had thought that Jack would show some respect too. I couldn't believe that he had been stupid enough to take my baby ice-fishing in the middle of the winter.

"Don't tell me that you take him ice-fishing and he fell, because I swear I will… You are in trouble."

"Rose, relax, he didn't fall." Jack told me from the other room. "I did."

The Browns laughed.

"You fell? Again?" Fabrizio asked.

"Hey, it's not funny." My husband replied as he came to the room drying his hair with a towel and after changing his shirt. "I could've been killed."

"Well, you deserved it. I can't believe that you actually went there after everything that has happened. You, of all people…. You could have been killed, you know that?" I said.

"Rose, Rose, Rose." Jack said noticing that I wasn't mad; I was just scared. "I didn't. Relax, apparently I'm not meant to die in that way. But don't worry, I won't do it again. I've learnt my lesson."

When I was calmed enough, Jack said hello to our guest and we all went to have dinner. It was a lovely evening, full of catching ups and surprises. Well, actually, there were only two surprises, but they were both very shocking.

The first one arrived when we were just sitting at the table. The bell rang and we all shared confused looks. Jack went to open it.

"Honey, put an extra plate on the table. We have company." He said happily.

"Hope I don't interrupt." A man with an Irish accent said. He sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't tell who he was. Fabri did recognized him

"Tomy! I thought you were in Ireland."

"I got bored and came back to America. I remembered you had told me that you were going to spend the holidays here so I thought I could drop by."

"You are more than welcome. Have you met the Browns? This is Molly, Joseph, Amy, Richard and his wife Elizabeth. This is Tomy Ryan; he was on the Titanic with us. And this is Rose, of course. Do you remember her?"

"How can I forget her! She was the only thing you talked about that week! And by the way, I apologize: I was very wrong."

Jack, Tomy and Fabri laughed, but I didn't know why. I guessed that it was something about Titanic.

The other surprise was far less pleasant. We had finished dinner and we were having coffee in the living room. Richard was telling us how he had met Elizabeth when the bell rang again.

"I'll get it, I'll get it!" Josephine said as she ran to the door. I stood up to follow her but before I could get to the door she said.

"Mummy, there's an old lady who wants to see you."

"Old lady? I see you didn't teach your daughter the proper manners."

That voice! I couldn't believe it.

"Jo, go play with the kids." I muttered.

"Are you so afraid of me?" the woman asked me.

"Jack!" I called, without even bothering to reply.

"What is it, Ro…." I went towards Jack and held his hand tightly for support. "What are you doing here?"

"Can't a mother want to see her daughter?" My mother asked.

"No, _you_ can't."

"Mr. Dawson, I think that that's up to her. Only Rose can tell me to go away, and even if she did, I wouldn't listen to her."

"Shocking." I commented sarcastically.

"Rose, you are my daughter. Please, talk to me!" Ruth begged.

I looked at her. The truth was that I hated this woman and I didn't want to see her ever again, but she was my mother. I guessed I could at least talk to her.

"It's okay, Jack. I can take it from here." He kissed my forehead and went to the living room. I showed my mother to my room. "You have five minutes." I told her when I had closed the door.

"After five years you give me just five minutes?"

"You should be thankful I give you that much."

"Fine. Rose, I know I was the best mother and you have all the right in the world to be mad at me, but you need to know that I've changed. Rose, I've spent the last four years looking all over for you. I hired private investigators who kept me informed of your life, but everytime I got to a place you had already left."

"You hired private investigators? I thought we were broke! Where did you get the money from?" I asked.

"Cal gave it to me on the condition that I never told anyone about his behavior towards you. If someone found out about the way that he treated you, he could be in trouble, so he preferred to lose some money rather than his reputation."

"And why did you look for me? I was dead."

"There was a ceremony to honor the ones who peril on the Titanic, do you remember? A year after the sinking."

"Yes. I remember." I replied.

"Well, I went to the ceremony and there I ran into Molly. Turned out that she wasn't any like I had thought she would be. She saw how bad I looked and offered to give me a hand. But since I wasn't getting any better she told me that you were alive on the condition that I would never look for you. She offered to tell me about you, but in return I had to promise that I wouldn't visit you unless you wrote to me first."

"I can see that you keep your promises."

"Rose, I was desperate. I needed to see you. I wasn't going to come in, but I saw your daughter threw the window and…. Oh, Rose, I'm so sorry!"

My mother started to cry and I, even though I tried to ignore her, couldn't help but kneel next to her.

"It's…. It's okay, mother. I forgive you."

She hugged me and I started to cry. We stood there for quite a while, apologizing to each other. I had never thought that I missed my mother so much. And besides, she had changed a lot.

"Hey, everybody, it's almost 12 o'clock. It's almost Christmas!" I heard Jack saying.

"Go, they must be waiting for you." My mother told me, whipping her tears.

"I'll go, but you are coming with me. Didn't you say you wanted to meet Josephine and Will?"

"I'd love to."

We both went to the living room. As soon as I opened the door I noticed Molly looking angrily at my mother.

"It's okay, Molly. You did right in telling her. I should've told her."

"So you are not mad?"

"No, Molly, I'm not mad. Relax."

"Five seconds till Christmas." Jack announced, looking at his watch. "Four. Three. Two. One. Marry Christmas!"

We all raised out glasses and toasted.

"Now…. Kids, did you hear that? I think it was Santa! Wanna check out if he left any presents?" Jack told the kids.

"Yeah!" they all replied at one time.

"I think that I heard him in the front yard! Come, let's go."

"Put on a coat first!" I told them before they left.

"Mummy, you're boring!" Will told me.

"I'm…. I'm boring? Fine, don't put a coat on. But I warn you, if tomorrow you catch a flew, Daddy's going to look after you. I won't cook you my 'special-soup'." I replied, looking at him.

"Okay." He said and ran outside.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"See, I told you. Put on a coat or you'll catch a flew. But, no, you wouldn't listen. And now what? You have to stay in bed for a whole week while all the other kids are playing outside. I hope you've learnt your lesson." I said as I put my hand on his forehead to check if he had fever.

"Yes. Can I have some of your special-soup?"

"No, you can't. I told you that I wasn't going to make you any soup."

We heard some noises in the house so we guessed that everybody was back to have lunch. It was the week after Christmas and Fabri and Amy where still staying with us. My mother was also home. That morning the DeRossis had taken the kids skiing.

"Mummy, mummy. We played snow-fight! I hit uncle Fabrizio pretty badly!" Will told me coming to the room.

"That's unfair! I am the king of snow-fighting!" the patient said.

"How are you feeling, daddy?" Josephine asked as she sat on the bed next to Jack.

"Bored! I'm sick of being lying here while you are all outside having fun." he replied.

"That's what you get for not listening to mummy." Our son held.

"What? You didn't put a coat on either and you're not sick."

"Perhaps he isn't sick because he didn't fall through thin ice." I commented. "Well, it's time to eat. Daddy needs to rest, kids, so come, let's go."

"I love you, did you know that?" Jack asked me before I could follow our kids. I walked back next to his bed and kissed him.

"I know you do, but you are not getting any of my special-soup." He smiled at me. "I love you, too." I answered.

He pulled me closer to him and kissed me again.

"Fine! I'll make you some soup. How do you do it? I can't say no to you."

"I tend to have that effect." He simply said.

"I'll be right back."

I went to the kitchen to help Amy with lunch, but on my way there I had to take part in one of the very common arguments between Josephine and William. This time, apparently, Will had tried to steal something from his sister and she had caught him. I frowned at the familiar scene before walking towards them.

God, did I love my life!

**

* * *

****And? Did you like? I wasn't sure about the ending... You know that endings have always been my weakness, but I'm proud to say that I like this story. Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up and say that it is the worst I've ever written, but for now, I'm happy. **

**Thank you for reading!**


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